Victorious Golden Eaglets return

The victorious Golden Eaglets breezed into the country Tuesday evening from Bamako where they secured the ticket to the 2013 African Under-17 Championship to be held in Morocco.

The team contingent led by Muazu Suleiman, the chairman of NFF’s Referee Committee, arrived in Lagos about 4:00pm aboard ASKY Airlines and was the cynosure of all eyes at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Ikeja, where they were received by Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme, the Director Technical of the NFF amongst others.

Ikpeme said the NFF and indeed Nigerians were happy over the manner the players distinguished it throughout the qualifiers where they recorded six wins in as many games to break the country’s duck of not qualifying for the continental cadet competition, adding that the team would be exposed to solid preparation before the championship proper in Morocco.

“Nigerians and indeed the NFF is happy with the Golden Eaglets because they are a model team that we would nurture to greater heights,” Ikpeme said.

“We are delighted that they qualified for the Under-17 Championship in Morocco and the federation would be waiting for the reports and programmes of the coaching crew towards their preparations.”

The Golden Eaglets would in the meantime, depart Lagos for Uyo today where they are expected to play an Akwa Ibom selected team in honour of Governor Godswill Akpabio who will be marking his 50th birthday this weekend.

In a related development, the Golden Eaglets’ assistant coach, Emmanuel Amuneke is mourning the loss of his father-in-law, Miguel Alonso in Spain. Alonso, the father of his wife, Fatimah, who died after a brief last Wednesday, was aged 73.

Amuneke said he had been in tumoil since he got the unfortunate news but had to keep it to himself because of the exigency of work particularly with the Golden Eaglets’ crucial game against Mali at the weekend.

“My father-in-law was a very good man and I cannot forget all what he did for me and my wife,” a crestfallen Amunike said with misty eyes. “Of course, I would have loved to be with my wife and the rest of her family when her father was sick but for the Golden Eaglets job.”

We thank God and appreciate the entire team but it is not today we have been hearing statement like this and I quote, “Nigerians and indeed the NFF is happy with the Golden Eaglets because they are a model team that we would nurture to greater heights,” Ikpeme said. We have produced many beautiful teams in Nigeria but could not hold them together. May it is a new dawn!

patohia

My brother, take heart and congratulations for the job you people are doing with the eaglets. If the sports administrators would give you people the necessary support, I think Nigeria will be on the rise again football wise.